CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Fixed Odds Betting Machines

Tessa Jowell: The Government have noted with concern the increasing installation in licensed betting offices of machines, described as fixed odds betting machines, which enable customers to play virtual casino games for prizes up to #50,000.
	The present law allows only two gaming machines in any betting office, offering maximum prizes of #25. Under the Government's proposals for reform of the laws on gambling in Great Britain, published in XA safe bet for success" (Cm 5397), betting offices would be able to install up to four gaming machines with a maximum prize of #500. Cm 5397 also noted the appearance of betting machines, pointing out that they have many of the characteristics which justify controls over gaming machines.
	The Government understand that the Gaming Board for Great Britain and the Association of British Bookmakers have agreed to the bringing of a test case to clarify the status of fixed odds betting machines under the existing law. While it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits or possible outcome of such legal proceedings, we welcome any action which will bring certainty to this issue so far as the present law is concerned.
	In order to make the position on future legislation clear for interested parties, I wish to confirm that the statement set out in XA safe bet for success" remains the Government's current policy. Therefore, our current plan is to introduce new legislation which will be drafted in such a way that those betting machines which in reality involve gaming will be brought within the relevant controls for gaming machines. We take the view that the uncontrolled proliferation of high-prize machine gaming on the high street risks seriously increasing problem gambling.

DEFENCE

Service Museums

Lewis Moonie: A business process review of the six principal service personnel museums is to be carried out by the Ministry of Defence. These organisations have non-departmental public bodies designation and receive Grants in Aid from the MOD. They are the Royal Naval Museum, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, the Fleet Air Arm Museum, the Royal Marines Museum, the National Army Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum. The previous review termed a Quinquennial review was completed in March 1997.
	Preliminary work has defined the scope of the study. The second phase will begin shortly and is expected to be completed within six months. The aim of the review is to examine the function, role, operation, funding and organisation of the museums, seek to identify key objectives and performance and to determine whether their current status is most appropriate to future needs.
	The review team will consult with a range of stakeholders during the course of the review including the museum directors, staff and trustees, MOD and single service sponsors, TUs, local government, other government Departments and other museums. The Ministry of Defence is interested also to hear the views of other organisations or individuals who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to do so should send their contributions by 28 February 2003 to:
	The Museums Business Process Review Team
	Open Plan Area, 2nd Floor
	Ministry of Defence
	St Giles Court
	1–13 St Giles High Street
	London WC2H 8LD
	Or by email to:
	dgmo-musbrhd@defence.mod.uk

METEOR

Adam Ingram: I am pleased to inform the House that the contract for the Meteor air-to-air missile for the RAFs Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft was placed with MBDA on 23 December 2002. This followed the signature of the Meteor MOU by Germany, the last of the six partner nations (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK) to sign, which permitted the UK, as lead nation, to sign the contract with MBDA.
	Meteor is a key element of the Government's commitment to provide the best possible equipment for the Armed Forces. It will ensure Typhoon has the capability to combat predicted air-to-air threats thereby meeting our requirement to maintain air superiority well into the future.
	This is extremely good news for British and European industry, sustaining high quality jobs in new technology and in system and software design. Furthermore, it puts MBDA at the forefront of a strengthened European missile defence industry and enhances export prospects for Typhoon.
	When my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 May 2000, Official Report, columns 149–51 the decision to select Meteor as the beyond visual range air-to-air missile to arm Typhoon, he agreed to publish the details of the breakpoints and determination of when theseassessments will be made, once the Memorandum of Understanding was established. Now that this has been achieved, I can confirm that the contract includes four breakpoints as follows:
	Demonstration of Ramjet Propulsion System (Boost to Sustain Motor Transition and Sustain Motor Operation)—at month 40 of the programme.
	Demonstration of Guidance and Control of the Asymmetric Airframe—at month 45 of the programme.
	Demonstration of the Effectiveness of Aircraft to Missile Transfer Alignment Process via Data Links—at month 45 of the programme.
	Demonstration of Electronic Protection Measures—at month 51 of the programme.
	The process for the independent assessment of the achievement of the milestones, and for securing partner nation agreement that they have been either achieved or failed, is set out in the MOU, copies of which will shortly be placed in the Library of the House. If MBDA fail to achieve any of the milestones, partner nations will be able to terminate the contract and recover all monies paid.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Commons Commissioners

Alun Michael: The Department is undertaking a financial management and policy review of the Commons Commissioners.
	The Commissioners are an independent tribunal, sponsored jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Assembly Government. They were established under the provisions of the Commons Registration Act 1965 to deal with disputed registrations of common land.
	The review will comprise an investigation of the functions carried out by the Commissioners, whether these functions still need to be undertaken and, if so, whether they should continue to be carried out by the Commissioners or whether another body in the public, private or voluntary sector could undertake the work.
	If it is considered that the Commissioners should be retained the review will consider issues such as cost effectiveness, staffing, finance and their relationship with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Lord Chancellor's Department. The full terms of reference are:
	Stage 1.
	To consider whether there is a continuing need for the functions carried out by the Commons Commissioners and, if so, whether the Commissioners provide the best means of doing so or whether the work could more effectively be carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) or another body in the public, voluntary or private sectors. Stage 2.
	If the conclusion from Stage 1 is that the Commissioners should be retained, the review will then look at all aspects of their financial management, accountability and relationship with Defra, WAG and the Lord Chancellor's Department. The review will consider and make recommendations on:
	the Commissioner's cost effectiveness, and the value of its work;
	the composition, operation, management and staffing of the Commissioners;
	the financial regime applying to the Commissioners and the effectiveness of
	financial and other management controls;
	the way in which Defra and WAG sponsor the body and monitor its performance and the role of the Lord Chancellor's Department in appointing Commissioners.
	The review will also consider and take account of the work of related reviews, such as the Leggatt review of tribunals and the policy and legislative review of common land being undertaken by Defra and WAG.
	The review will be undertaken in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines, and we expect it to be completed in April 2003.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Immigration Control

David Blunkett: The Government are firmly committed to maintaining effective immigration controls and ensuring that genuine passengers are able to pass through our ports with the least possible delay.
	For some years the number of Jamaican passengers being refused entry on arrival in the United Kingdom has been increasing, nearly 3,500 or 6 per cent of arrivals last year. The number of Jamaicans who abscond having been given temporary admission is also unacceptably high, more than 150 a month during the first half of this year. These problems create enormous pressures for the Immigration Service but also lead to unacceptable delays and inconvenience for the great majority of genuine travellers from Jamaica. The situation can best be demonstrated by looking at the period leading up to Christmas. During the six weeks to 17 December 2002, 1,233 Jamaican nationals were refused entry at the UK's 12 busiest ports. This represented nearly 20 per cent. of all refusals at those ports during that period.
	The only effective way of easing these problems is to ensure that Jamaican passengers have demonstrated that they qualify to enter the United Kingdom before they embark for this country. In the circumstances I have decided to impose a visa regime on all Jamaican nationals wishing to visit the United Kingdom.
	I would want to provide reassurance that the presence of a visa regime should not be a bar to those Jamaican nationals who genuinely wish to visit the United Kingdom. The rules under which decisions are made are the same whether that decision is made on arrival or before. This visa regime simply allows officials to consider the application before the passenger embarks for the United Kingdom. Providing greater certainty that a person has satisfied the Immigration Rules will also smooth the passage of genuine visitors through the immigration controls, giving advantage to all concerned.

Board of the Central Police Training and Development Authority (CENTREX)

John Denham: I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor David Croisdale-Appleby to the board of the Central Police Training and Development Authority. Professor Croisdale-Appleby will be taking up his duties immediately.
	He is a visiting professor of strategic marketing and communications at Strathclyde University, and these skills will be of immense value to the board. He has extensive experience as a board member with various bodies, and has been a CEO of major international marketing and advertising businesses. He was recently invited by the Lord Chancellor's office to become a member of the Family Health Services Appeal Authority and for one year was seconded to run a firm of solicitors specialising in criminal and family law.
	Professor Croisdale-Appleby joins the board at a time when Centrex is still finding its feet, having only been established as an executive non-departmental public body on 1 April last year. Centrex has a pivotal role to play in developing policing excellence, charged as it is with new police recruit training, and developing leadership skills within the police service. In addition to providing support and consultancy to forces, both domestic and international, on operational policing matters, Centrex is leading the way on alternative learning technologies through its new web based learning portal. Centrex is also establishing the National Centre for Policing Excellence, which will identify and disseminate good policing practice, such as the new street crime knowledge map, and develop regulations and codes of practice for effective operational policing.

HEALTH

National Health Service

Alan Milburn: I am announcing capital allocations for the national health service for the next three years today. This is consistent with the revenue budget allocations which were issued late last year.
	Capital allocations are made to the NHS in two parts. Operational capital is for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing existing capital stock, and is made direct to NHS Trusts and primary care trusts. Strategic capital, which is allocated direct to all strategic health authorities (StHAs), is for distribution at their own discretion for larger scale investments.
	Total operational capital is increasing by 10 per cent., in each of the three years 2003–04 and 2005–06. The growth in strategic capital in the StHAs is 13 per cent./11 per cent./14 per cent., for each of the three years. The residue of the capital is being held centrally—the largest being for information technology, where #400 million is being held for 2003–04, #700 million for 2004–05 and #1.2 billion for 2005–06.
	This is the first time that day-to-day operational capital has been allocated directly to NHS StHAs, trusts and primary care trusts.
	This is the first time that capital allocations have been made for three years rather then one year, allowing the local NHS to plan with confidence and certainty for the future.
	In addition, allocations have been informed by a new funding formula for both operational and strategic capital to give a nationally consistent and fairer basis for the distribution of funds.
	Of the money allocated to StHAs, #100 million is for the establishment of a local access incentive fund. The purpose is to reward NHS trusts and primary care trusts who make rapid progress in improving access to NHS treatment. Clearly this could include any of the NHS plan targets for access, both in hospital and primary care. Initially, however, we expect the main focus to be on:
	(a) reducing waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) (progress towards the maximum four-hour total wait in A&E);
	(b) reducing in-patient and out-patient waiting times (progress towards the maximum six month waiting time target and the maximum 13 week wait);
	(c) reducing in-patient and out-patient waiting lists.
	Details of the allocations and an explanation of the new funding formulae have been placed in the Library.